The American legal scholar's book explores Socratic dialogue—one of the most effective and proven tools for constructing sound reasoning, bequeathed to us by ancient philosophy. The author contrasts the Socratic method with the thoughtless and superficial rendering of categorical judgments, which is fostered by modern internet communication. 'If I had to express the antithesis of the Socratic method in one word, it would be 'Twitter,'' writes Ward Farnsworth. His critique centers on the inability of modern people, everywhere, to think critically and independently, questioning assessments and opinions consecrated by tradition, supported by habit, or imposed by authority. It is precisely this inability to think in a Socratic manner that the book portrays as the underlying cause of 'all the rampant ignorance and hypocrisy that characterizes current political discourse.'